Superintendent McKinney releases updates for week of April 27, 2023

This week’s highlights include MFE Teachers of the Year! , MFE Celebration May 6 – Tickets on Sale Now, Thank You to our MPS Administrative Assistants, Milton School Committee Updates, MSE Registration is Open and Classroom Highlights, and more.

From The Desk Of The Superintendent

Just before April break, the Milton Foundation for Education honored the MPS Teachers of the Year!  We are grateful to the MFE for honoring these deserving educators and invite you to read about our teachers below. All are invited to join the fun at the MFE Celebration on May 6, where the MFE will also celebrate our teachers. Tickets and information about this year’s Derby themed Celebration available now at this link!

This week we also celebrated our Administrative Assistants at each school. These dedicated professionals are the first friendly face of their schools and they are integral to the success of each of our schools. Thank you to Deb Woods (Glover), Eileen Keaney (Tucker) Joanne Barker (Collicot), Julie McGettrick (Cunningham), Sandy Wyse (Pierce) and Jenn McCullough and Tyler Urso (MHS) for all you do, each day, for our students, staff, and families.

MPS Need To Know

Important Dates

• May 1 Town Meeting Begins
• May 4 Pierce Amplify Arts Fair
• May 9 Getting Ready for Kindergarten Cafe
• May 10 School Committee Meeting/School Choice Hearing
• May 17 Milton SEPAC Meeting
• May 18 Spring Concert
• May 22 MHS Music Awards Dinner
• May 23 MHS Arts Show
• May 24 School Committee Meeting
• May 25-27 Mamma Mia at MHS
• May 30 MHS Awards Night
• May 31 Boosters Varsity Celebration
• June 4 MHS Graduation

The MPS Events Calendar can be found here, and the one-page 22-23 SY calendar can be found here.  The 23-24 SY calendar can be found here.

Milton School Committee

This week, Milton voters elected two new School Committee members to two open seats. Welcome to Mark Loring and Bao Qiu and thank you to all who ran to serve our MPS community.

We are incredibly grateful to Ada Rosmarin and Betty White, long time MPS and Milton volunteers and veteran School Committee members, who attended their final School Committee meeting last week. We will miss their steady presence, institutional knowledge, and overwhelming commitment to doing the very best for all MPS students and staff. Ms. Rosmarin and Ms. White gave countless hours serving on many subcommittees over the last six years. They have been strong advocates for students, our public schools, and the Town of Milton. We wish them many days of relaxation and time enjoying family and friends. Thank you for all you have done for the Milton Public Schools.

MFE Celebration for Education

The MFE invites the entire MPS community to join them for Celebration for Education on May 6 for a Kentucky Derby themed evening with betting, bourbon, and local band Twice-A-Day Ray! Tickets available now at this link!

• This year’s Celebration is at The Beat (just renamed Southline), a brand-new event space located in the former headquarters of the Boston Globe, just 6 miles away at 135 Morrissey Blvd, Dorchester.
• Early start at 5 so that you can watch the race live.
• Teacher of the Year winners from each of our six schools will be honored.
• Derby betting squares are available at this link.
• All your southern food favorites are on the menu.
• Derby attire is bright colors, and there will be a best hat and tie contest.
• Tickets available now at this link! 

MPS Art Shows

Save the date for two exciting MPS art events!

• May 4: Pierce AMPlify Arts Fair, 5:00 p.m-7:00 p.m. This is a debut Art and Music Fair for Pierce showcasing student artwork, music performances, activities and concessions. We are very excited about it!
• May 23: Check out the MHS Art Show from 5:30 p.m-6:30 p.m. in the MHS library. The exhibition will run May 23-26.

Milton Summer Enrichment

MSE registration is OPEN at this link!  MSE is for students in rising grades K-8, takes place at Milton High School, and runs from July 5-28, five days a week, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Classes include academic enrichment, arts and crafts, sports and outdoor fun, technology, and much more!

Please visit this link for the MSE 2023 Brochure to review course information, program details, and registration information. We are excited to offer some great new classes as well as popular MSE favorites. Please email [email protected] with any questions. We are looking forward to a fun and enriching summer!

MPS Intrumental Music Lessons

Save the date! The Instrumental Lesson Program Information Night will be held on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the MHS Auditorium. Those interested in beginning instrumental lessons will receive information on the program and students will have an opportunity to try various instruments and speak with high school students about their experience playing instruments.

MPS Good To Know

MHS Theatre – Mamma Mia

Mamma Mia at MHS, May 25-27, tickets on sale now at this link! Come see our talented MHS students in our spring production of Mamma Mia, the story of Sophie, a bride-to-be trying to find her real father, is told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA. Set on a colorful Greek Island, the plot serves as a background for a wealth of ABBA songs and a ton of fun!

MPS Food Waste Pilot Program

Sustainable Milton has partnered with the Town of Milton and Milton Public Schools to implement a Food Waste Diversion and Recycling program in the Tucker and Glover Cafeterias.  After just a short time, everyone involved is seeing the effects of diverting food waste from the trash! Look at these stats:

• At Glover, we have diverted an average of 410 lbs per week of food from the trash
• We have gone down from 18 bags of trash daily at Glover to 3
• At Tucker, we have gone from 16 bags to 2 per day

This not only saves the town money, it also decreases our carbon emissions by taking food waste and turning it into compost instead of sending it to the landfill or incinerator to produce harmful gases which are released into the air and water.

This program is powered by school and town volunteers. Can you join Sustainable Milton and MPS to help continue this pilot program and make this change for the long term? All details are here and the sign up to volunteer can be found here: Tucker SignUp Glover SignUp

MPS Gives Back

Glover 5th graders recently participated in a community service activity that involved the entire Glover community in a project to improve the lives of children living in shelters. 5th graders collaborated with the Fundraising Student Leadership Team to coordinate a schoolwide effort to support Gotta Have Sole, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide homeless youth with brand new shoes to help them feel confident and comfortable.

Students collected over 260 pairs of new sneakers and just over $400.00. Additionally, Glover students K-5 collectively decorated over 600 cards during their weekly art class. It was evident that the whole school was truly engaged in this project when a kindergarten student in Mrs. Brandi’s class, who had a birthday party, asked his friends to not bring presents for him but to buy a pair of shoes for the collection. New Balance and Converse generously donated as well. On Monday, April 10, the founder of Gotta Have Sole visited Glover and led 5th graders through the process of preparing the sneakers for a child in need. Each pair of shoes was packaged with a new pair of socks and a handwritten note that included messages of hope and encouragement. 5th graders also listened to an inspirational talk and were encouraged to take action when they see a problem in the world. Thank you to everyone involved for making this such an impactful event!

MPS Nice To Know

Superintendent Shoutout

These three Project 351 Ambassadors (current and past) are fantastic representatives of MPS. We are so proud of the ongoing good work they do! Reilly Bergin, Adam C. and Hōkū Panerio-Langer spent a day over the marathon weekend serving with Project 351 and the Martin Richard Foundation in memory of those lost 10 years ago in the marathon bombings. Service projects included:

• Making blankets and care packages for the Pine Street Inn
• Making gratitude baskets for the first responders and hospital workers who responded to the attacks on that day
• Making flower pots and distributing them to the families at the remembrance ceremony on saturday afternoon
• Making bags with diverse books for Storytime Crafts, a nonprofit that brings culturally and racially responsive books to kids living in diverse but underserved communities.

Thank you to Reilly, Hōkū, and Adam – three all-star MPS students!

MHS Best Buddies Field Trip

Students in MHS Best Buddies recently enjoyed a field trip to The Franklin Park Zoo. Students had a blast learning about all the animals, building friendships, and practicing real world skills. Best Buddies members are looking forward to more community events!

Collicot 4th Grade Speaker

As a finale of their project studying architect Zaha Hadid, Mme Theobald and Mrs. Rogers’s Collicot 4th graders had a visit from local architect and Collicot parent Ryan McClain. Mr. McClain shared his path to becoming an architect, starting with his time as a student at Cunningham and MHS. He highlighted the various aspects of being an architect, noting that problem solving is a big part of his job. The ideas were flowing and our students loved having the opportunity to create their own architectural drawings of a wished for tree house to be located in the Collicot green space.

MHS Wellness Wednesdays

MHS Student Leaders spearheaded a month of Wellness Wednesdays for their peers and teachers. During advisory and after-school, Student Leaders coordinated activities including adult coloring pages, gardening, visits with a therapy dog, meditation, a “just dance” session, and more. Students remarked that the activities helped them focus on their mental health and allowed them to take a short break during or after the busy school day.

Pierce Playbook Initiative

Before break, led by MHS senior Hōkū Panerio-Langer, about 30 Pierce students participated in the Playbook Initiative.

Started by the 2016-17 Boston Celtics team, the Playbook Initiative is a program centered around engaging middle schoolers in conversations on critical and plaguing societal issues. The program features a series of two workshops on topics related to race/ethnicity, gender, religion/culture, disability, and orientation. Through Playbook workshops, students learn to recognize and productively address discrimination and bias in their community and beyond. These workshops are led by Playbook Trainers like Hōkū, high school students coached by the Celtics Community Outreach team to facilitate Playbook conversations.

Trailside Museum at Glover

Thanks to the Glover PTO, Glover 1st graders enjoyed a wonderful visit from the Trailside Museum. Trailside Museum staff brought a screech owl named Whinny to visit each 1st grade classes and students learned about habitats, food chains, cool facts about owls, and the mission of the Trailside Museum.

MHS Jazz Night

On Tuesday, April 11, the MHS and Pierce Middle School Jazz Ensembles presented their annual Spring Jazz Night. The evening featured 3 jazz combos from MHS, the Pierce Jazz Ensemble, the MHS Jazz Ensemble and concluded with a combined performance of “Second Line” featuring all of the Jazz students from Pierce and MHS. MHS Jazz Director Ms. Damiani and Pierce Jazz Director Mr. Ortiz took time to teach the audience the process of learning jazz improvisation which has been a focus area for all jazz students this past year. You can enjoy the MPS Spring Jazz Night Concert at this link. Thanks to Mr. Lopresti’s students for filming this concert!

There are still opportunities to see our music students perform this year. Join us for:

• Small Ensemble Cabaret- Thursday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m., MHS Auditorium
• MHS Spring Concert-Thursday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m., MHS Auditorium
• Pierce Spring Concerts-June 6 and 8 at 6:30 p.m., MHS Auditorium

Wildcat Marching Band News

The Wildcat Marching Band and Colorguard is gearing up for their 2023-24 season! The Wildcat Marching Band is an ensemble that performs at community events such as parades, ceremonies and football games throughout the year. If your student is entering grades 9-12 and would like to participate in the Marching Band and Colorguard please fill out this form. 

MHS Spring Semi – May 12

MHS Freshman and Sophomore Student Government is excited to be hosting the Spring Semi Dance for 9th and 10th graders on  May 12. Details are below.

• When?  Friday, May 12, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 pm
• Where? MHS Courtyard
• What?   Music, Dancing, Yard Games, Pizza, Treats
• Who?    MHS Freshmen and Sophomores in good standing are invited to attend
• How?    With your help! Please see the Sign Up Genius linked here to volunteer for set up and/or to donate items or funds.
  Tickets will be on sale the week of May 1st, $10 per person. Thank you so much for your support of our students!

MHS Athletics

Athletic Director Ryan Madden shares that it has been a great spring athletic season so far!

Unified Track and Field has their first home meet this season today, Thursday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. v Walpole. Come out and support an awesome team!

Boys and Girls Tennis have led the way, earning non-league wins and playing very well in their league matches. The Boys (6-1) are led by Sophomore John Dickens and Junior Captain, Ethan Tran. The Girls (3-3), led by Sophomore Catalina Abboud, handled Fontbonne, Weymouth and Framingham, while playing very well in close losses to Wellesley (4-1) and Braintree (3-2).

The reigning State Champion Baseball Team is 11-0 after beating previously undefeated Natick on Wednesday afternoon. After trailing 2-0 late, the Cats battled back and forced extra innings, winning 6-3 in the 9th! In a star-studded lineup, Sophomore sensation Scott Longo has grabbed the headlines, going 3-0 on the mound.

The Softball Team is 4-3 after beating Natick yesterday in dramatic fashion! They trailed 3-0 after 1 inning and never led until the final frame. With one gone and girls on 2nd and 3rd base, Victoria Fish hit a hard ball to second forcing a good stop. One run scored, Emerson Johnson rounded third and beat the tag at home to walk off 6-5! What a game it was! They will host NDA on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on Gile Field. Girls Lacrosse also plays Boston Latin Academy at 11 am, so it’s a great day to catch a game.

The Boys Lacrosse Team (3-3) is playing very well in front of Senior Captain Goalie, Drew Cakouros. Ian Wick is scoring at will, while Luke Haley, Finn Hegarty and Luke Hartford are contributing to the good start. They are hoping to make the tournament this spring after missing by one spot last season.

Many more highlights to come this week and the rest of the season! Follow the MHS Athletics website and find all schedules here.

Community News & Events

Please use the links below or visit the MPS Community News & Events page for information on these terrific community events and opportunities!

GREEN UP, Milton! In celebration of Earth Day, the Milton DPW and Sustainable Milton is hosting the GREEN UP Milton this year on the weekend of April 29-30th, 2023!

All town groups are encouraged to participate including schools, sports teams, neighborhood associations, town clubs, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, churches and temples, and any other small group or individual that wishes to join in on this great event! All details can be found here. Let’s GREEN UP, Milton!

Our MHS music students, Bella Fiske and Claudia O’ Neill will be playing music at the Pancake Brunch fundraiser by Milton Rotary to benefit Milton Coalition on Mother’s Day, May 14, 11:00 a.m. to noon at East Congregational Church. Please stop by to support our students, our community partner and enjoy some pancakes!

April is Jazz Appreciation Month! In the spirit of sharing, Parkway United Methodist Church invites the entire Milton community to a free concert celebrating South African Jazz on Saturday April 29. Details at left.

Brookwood Community Farm Annual Seedling Sale is May 6 & 7; Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Bring your own box/container to get seedlings home. Special musical performance on Sunday May 7 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. by members of the Southeastern Orchestra and Wompatuck Senior Orchestra!

High school students or the general public are welcome to volunteer for set up and during the Sale. HERE is the link to sign up and learn more. Limited CSA shares are still available.  Please see our website under Our CSA to learn about how to access some fresh local produce!

The Milton Road Race is fast approaching, on Tuesday, June 13! Sign up here to help support scholarships for graduating Milton seniors and grants to local nonprofit organizations.

The Milton Early Childhood Associations Spring Newsletter filled with many free fun spring programs, parent information, and local resources can be found here!

MECA Kindergarten Cafe: Is your child entering kindergarten in the fall? This parent workshop, filled with information, resources, and developmental skills is for you!
Registration is required and can be completed here.

The Milton Parks Summer Program Brochure is linked here. Registration opens soon for spring programs, more info can be found here. Coming this spring – Babysitting Course; Spring Junior Golf; Spring Junior Tennis; Spring Indoor Basketball.

TONIGHT: Every three years, the Milton Coalition examines the status of Milton youth through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, with an emphasis on substance use. Join us as we share these results, compare them to our past evaluations, and discuss next steps. Masks are required. This meeting is open to the public and will be held on Thursday, April 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at BID Milton.

Light the Way, Milton’s first annual vigil to remember lives lost to overdose and substance use disorder, will be held on Sunday, April 30. 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Baron Hugo Gazebo in front of Town Hall, 525 Canton Ave.  A group of family members who have lost loved ones to overdose and substance use disorder have joined together with the Milton Coalition to help light the way towards healing, support, and awareness so that other families don’t have to experience similar pain.

The vigil will include speakers sharing their own personal stories, civic leaders, music, a reading of names, and a candlelight ceremony in honor of those who have died.  If you would like to participate in the vigil or would like to have a loved one honored, please visit www.milton-coalition.org and fill out the vigil participation form.  You can also email [email protected] for more information.

Fontbonne is excited to offer two sessions of Summer Theater for students in grades 3-9. Students participating in this one week or two-week summer program will have the opportunity to work together to learn and perform a musical theatre show. All details can be found here. Contact Fiona McDonald for more info at [email protected].

Attention Wildcat Nation! Registration for the 2023 tackle football, cheer and flag football programs is now open – register here. We have two different closing dates, one for cheer and one for tackle. Cheer closes on May 31 and Tackle closes on June 21. Flag is on a rolling registration.

Summer Art Camp at the Milton Art Center is open for registration. The camps will run for nine weeks from June 26-August 24. Each session has a different theme and children can sign up for half day or full day sessions. Visit the website to find out more and register.

Milton Field Hockey is open for registration for the Winter (K-8) and Spring (K-8) 2023 season and summer camp (up to age 18)! All details can be found here.

Reg closes May 1: Milton Girls Softball encourages children in Kindergarten through Grade 8 to register for the 2023 Spring Season. All details can be found at www.miltonsoftball.com.

The Milton Public Library’s calendar of  May programs for kids can be found here.

• Peep! Peep! The Story Hour Room is now the new home to chicken eggs as they wait to hatch in their incubator. Come by anytime that we are open to observe the hatching process, and be the first to say hello to our little chick friends when they finally break through their shells!
• Join Turo (teacher) Vince Jornales on Saturday, May 6 at 2:30 PM for Introduction to Martial Arts! No prior experience is required. Learn more and register today through our Events Calendar!

To learn more and to register for programs for kids, teens, and adults, please visit the MPL website.

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The Milton Public School system does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, gender identity, transgender status, gender transitioning, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its programs, activities or operations. These include, but are not limited to, admissions, equal access to programs and activities, employment, provision of and access to programs and services, as well as a selection of volunteers, vendors, and employers recruiting at the Milton Public Schools.  We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, students, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Human Resources Dr. Garth McKinney, (617) 696- 4808/4809.